On July 19, members of the Black and Jewish communities came together to help paint a Compton high school as part of a day of service dubbed “Shared Hoped Tour.”
Throughout the day, volunteers helped paint, clean and plant trees at Compton Academy of Technology and Innovation, a new high school overseen by Compton Unified School District. Among those who turned out were Pastor Michael Fisher of Greater Zion Church Family; Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback of Stephen Wise Temple; Amanda Berman, founder and CEO of Zioness; and Congregation Or Ami Rabbis Paul Kipnes and Elana Rabishaw.
The event followed up on a Passover seder earlier this year that drew members of the Black and Jewish communities. This past Saturday, participating groups included Zioness, Repair the World and Exodus Leadership Forum.
I also spoke with Dani Shear, an educator in the religious school at Temple Israel of Hollywood and a former Zioness fellow. Shear said she was proud to be out there representing Zioness, a movement that works to empower Zionists on the progressive left, especially at a time when the State of Israel is facing demonization on several political fronts.
“We’re undaunted and we wear our ‘Zioness’ shirt, and we stand proud with the State of Israel,” Shear, taking a brief break from painting, said.